Bentonville School District is offering a new training program for students interested in maternal health.

Eleven students are participating in the Ignite Professional Studies Doula Training, which began in January. The program allows students to gain practical skills that align with health care careers, including prenatal care, labor support, postpartum care and patient advocacy.

Maternal health has recently become a key topic of discussion across the state. Arkansas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation, making it one of the riskiest places to have a baby. Last week, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act aimed at improving maternal health in the state. The bill was one of the governor’s policy priorities, and it passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support.

Doulas provide physical, emotional and informational support before, during and shortly after childbirth. Doulas don't provide medical care, but they can help make communication easier between the birthing person, their family and medical providers. For example, a doula can help create a birthing plan and advocate for the family’s wishes during labor and delivery.

“Expecting mothers need someone who is going to advocate for them and be alongside them throughout their entire journey that we call pregnancy, and that aspect of doula work is critical to the mother’s health and even the greater health of our community,” Halle Whitley, a Bentonville High School student in the doula program, said during a recent Board of Education meeting. 

Whitley is looking into a career as a pediatric occupational therapist.

Lily Castillo, a Bentonville West student in the program, said she was inspired to be a neonatologist because her mom had twins at 23 weeks. 

“I think this program is going to be a good head start to getting into that field,” she said at the meeting. “I believe all mothers should have an amazing pregnancy and get to have their birth experience to be something really special and something they can look back on and be like, ‘Wow, I'm so proud of that.’”

Wendy Broughton, health sciences instructor with Ignite Professional Studies, said she was inspired to create the doula program after attending a roundtable discussion on maternal health in Bentonville.

“I kept thinking, what can we do, and … at the level of high school, and it was to be a doula,” Broughton told the Board. “That was a buzz word at that roundtable.”

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has partnered with the program to provide training combined with clinical rotations in maternal health areas. Other partners include Birthing and Beyond, based out of Kansas City, and Ujima Maternity Network from Little Rock, who lead virtual training classes.

Students are also exposed to clinical experiences with Mercy, Willow Creek Women’s Hospital and Bentonville Birthing Services. They are in class or a clinical setting five days a week, two hours a day.

The Ignite Professional Studies Program serves 580 students across 10 career strands including aviation, digital media, health sciences, construction management, education innovation, engineering and industrial design, culinary arts, global business, law and public policy, and technology.

Each program offers college credit, industry certification and an internship or project. 

“Ultimately, what we are trying to do is help students make a more informed decision about whatever is next for them, and offer these opportunities that are in line with their professional and academic interests,” said Jessica Imel, principal of the Ignite Professional Studies Program “This doula program I think is a great example of that.”